Pastors, Don’t Stop Performing Weddings

Last updated on: July 7, 2015 at 1:29 pm by Jordan Cooper

Pastors, Don’t Stop Performing Weddings 2015-07-07T13:29:22-06:00 Jordan Cooper

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After the recent SCOTUS decision, I have seen a number of different responses from Christian pastors about how Christians should respond to such issues. Many fear that legal action will eventually come to those who refuse to perform gay weddings. Due to this fear, some Christians have argued that the church should step out of the marriage business altogether in order to avoid such persecution. After all, we don’t want to pay the kinds of fines that the government required of the bakers in Oregon who refused to serve a gay wedding. But, is this really the proper Christian response? Should we just cower in order to avoid punishment?

Pastors, I urge you not to step out of the marriage business. To do so is to hand such duties over to the state, and essentially acknowledge that it is the state that determines what marriage is. What is the worst thing that the state can do? Imprison us? Fine us? Do we so fear earthly punishments that we are willing to give up? Paul was put in prison, Athanasius was exiled, Luther was put into hiding. Why should we expect anything different? I pray that God would give us the strength to persevere, and if persecution does come, let us perform godly weddings anyway. The worst thing that could possibly happen is that our body is destroyed, but remember, there is one who is greater, who will save us, who even death itself cannot conquer.

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